Providence

“For this act of discipline and faith – this expression of love – God rewards me by placing me under His providence.

Eye Of Providence (Latin Cathedral)

The other day, I was very stressed about something going on at work.  There was a problem that I needed to understand which way to move in.

Now, it was not life or death.  It was not the worst thing in the world.  It was simply a case of not knowing what I should do next and not knowing where I should position myself.

And so, I did what I always do, and I asked God for direction.

It seems like such a small thing to do.  But it is really the only thing that kept me going that day.

Now, sometimes when I pray for an intervention like that I receive direction straight away.  And sometimes, I simply do not…

You see, the trick – I have found – is not in the prayer itself, but rather in the attitude.

If it is good and for the good – if the thing is going to get me closer to Heaven and God, my Beloved – then I want to ask God to send it towards me and remove the barriers.  If – however – it is not going to bring me closer to my Beloved, then let the barriers come up.  The trick, I have found is in having no preference for either outcome.  If I can make myself completely pliable to any possible outcome, then I have nothing invested in the decision either way.  And this means that I have no way of losing.

If the thing goes one way and comes closer to me then that is good because I have asked God to bring the thing that will bring the good.  If the thing goes another way, then that is also good because by taking it away from me then it is equally good because that is another way of God drawing me closer to Him.

And I have been reflecting on that today.  Because living like this is the only way to ensure that my heart is quiet.  And this does not necessarily mean that it is an easier way to live.  After all, it takes very strong focus and discipline to keep brining myself back to the understanding that I need to focus on God and His Holy Will instead of my own.  But the rewards for this are great.  After all, if I can just focus on whose Will I should be following then I can really begin to understand where to put my stress.  And instead of putting my time and stress on something that I cannot control – like the outcome of an event – I can put my time and energy on something that I can control, which is my dedication to the Holy Will of God.  And for this act of discipline and faith – this expression of love – God rewards me by placing me under His providence.

I just need to remember this the next time I land myself into a situation where I am getting stress about something at work…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.